WASHINGTON, N.C. (AP) -- A kitchen fire in an apartment has claimed the lives of two children, who authorities said were alone in the home.

Jimmy Davis, chief of Washington's Fire-Rescue-EMS Department, said the fire Saturday was caused by an unattended pot left on a stove.

The mother of the two children, a boy, 5, and a girl, 7, was not at home when the fire started, Davis said.

Davis declined to name the victim or their mother. However, an obituary given to the Washington Daily News identified the girl as Laqueta Guilford and the boy as Bernie Devon Guilford. It did not identify the children's mother.

The Washington Police Department is investigating, Davis said.

The department received its first alarm about the fire at 7:47 p.m. Saturday, Davis said. Firefighters arriving at the scene reported seeing smoke coming from the front of the residence and fire at the rear of the apartment, Davis said.

The children were pronounced dead at Beaufort County Hospital.

The Washington Housing Authority owns the apartment complex where the fire occurred.

Information from: Washington Daily News